Address by Dr Samlee Plianbangchang - thirtieth ession of WHO South-East Asia Advisory Committee on Health Research, Jakarta, Indonesia, 14-16 March 2007

Thirtieth Session of WHO South-East Asia Advisory Committee on Health Research Jakarta, Indonesia, 14-16 March 2007 Address By Dr Samlee Plianbangchang Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia -------------------- - Your Excellency, Dr Siti Fadilah Supari, Minister of Health, Government of Indonesia; - Dr Uton Muchtar Rafei, RD Emeritus; - Distinguished Members of the Advisory Committee on Health Research; 2 - Honourable Special Invitees; - Honourable Guests; - Ladies and Gentlemen: • I warmly welcome you all to the 30th session of WHO South East Asia Advisory Committee on Health Research. • I thank Members of the Committee and Special Invitees for sparing their valuable time to come to attend the session. 3 • I am also glad to see our HQ colleagues who can make themselves available for the meeting. • I thank them. • This is another opportunity to take stock of what WHO has done during the recent past in health research in South-East Asia Region. Excellency; • To be effective in our pursuit of health development, the relevant set of evidence 4 is needed for the formulation of health policy and programme. • These evidences have to be generated through health research. • The research that can help identify practical solutions to priority health problems being faced by Member States. • Nevertheless, the availability of health research alone is not enough. • It must be quality research to produce quality results. 5 • And for these results to have any impact on health, they must be properly utilized by policy makers, planners and managers. • To have quality research, we need competent staff and adequate funds. • In this connection, ladies and gentlemen, our country capacity in health research needs strengthening, in both human and financial terms. • Certainly, we need more research funds; but at the same time what already 6 available with us must be optimally utilized. Distinguished Members of the Committee; • I would like to draw your kind attention to one of the acute and long-term needs of our Member States. • That is the need for quality medicines and vaccines at affordable price by health services systems. • To be adequately accessible to such medicines and vaccines, strong countries’ 7 capacity in research and development (RD) has to be established. • Coupled with this requisite is the technology transfer in the areas of pharmaceuticals and biologicals. • This issue needs due attention of this ACHR to advise on the effective means to move forward. • The international community should not lose its time any further in ensuring country strength in these critically important areas. 8 • I would like to urge the Committee to come up with a set of realistic and feasible recommendations on this issue. Ladies and gentlemen; • At the end of this session of our ACHR, we expect to arrive at an operational framework. • The framework that can ensure among other things, closer cooperation in health research in SEAR. 9 • The cooperation among all stakeholders, particularly among Member States and between Member States and WHO. • The framework that can lead to countries’ capacity in the development of quality research in the Region. • Within this framework, I wish to see our special attention be paid to research and development and technology transfer in the areas of medicines and vaccines. • Let us look forward together to a long-term endeavour that can result in regional self- 10 reliance in the production of medicines and vaccines. • Finally, ladies and gentlemen, I gratefully thank the Government of Indonesia for accepting to host this session of WHO SEA ACHR. • I overwhelmingly thank Her Excellency, Dr Siti Fadilah Supari, Minister of Health, Government of Indonesia; • For accepting to inaugurate the opening of the session. 11 • My appreciation is extended to National Institute of Health Research and Development, the Government of Indonesia; and • To WHO Country Office in Jakarta for the excellent arrangement made for the meeting. • I wish the 30th session of WHO/SEA ACHR all success. • Thank you. 12 C:\ Documents and Settings\Administrator\ Desktop\Address- Thirtieth session of ACHR- 14- 16 Mar- INO_corrections on 14 March_1830hrs.doc